Dengvaxia case: Parents, relatives say QC court ruling defies SC order

MANILA, Philippines — Parents and relatives of the children whose deaths are being linked to the dengvaxia vaccine said the order of the Quezon City Regional Trial Court (QCRTC) consolidating 35 new cases against health officials is contrary to a Supreme Court order.

In a joint statement, the parents and relatives said the Supreme Court has already ruled that the dengvaxia cases should be heard separately.

From June to August this year, an additional 35 cases were filed before the QCRTC. However, the court allowed the consolidation of the 35 cases into one.

READ: Quezon City court orders consolidation of Dengvaxia-related criminal cases

“Ayon sa Korte Suprema, ang mga kasong may kinalaman sa Dengvaxia ay kinakailangang marinig nang hiwalay sapagkat hindi ito nagsasangkot ng mga parehong paksa,” read the joint statement.

(According to the Supreme Court, cases related to Dengvaxia need to be heard separately because they do not involve the same subject matter.)

They mentioned the case filed by Dr. Socorro Lupisan before the Supreme Court, where she argued that although the SC rejected the consolidation of eight (8) criminal Information, the order allowing the filing of separate information for Reckless Imprudence should be reconsidered based on the Ivler doctrine, which prohibits the filing of a separate case under Article 365 of the Revised Penal Code.

But the SC said, “Each case should be tried separately because they are not based on the same facts; they involve different victims whose medical histories are distinct from that of the other victims.”

They added that the SC ruling led to the issuance of Circular 289-2023 from the Office of the Court Administrator, stating that all dengvaxia-related cases should be tried before the Family Court.

They said consolidation means all cases will be handled by the Family Court, not consolidation into one case.

READ: SC orders trials of all Dengvaxia cases transferred to a single court

Records showed that parents and relatives of children inoculated with dengvaxia filed 158 criminal complaints. Of the 158, eight are already undergoing trial.